Tāneatua
Tāneatua | |
|---|---|
Main street of Tāneatua, c. 1920 | |
| Coordinates: 38°03′50″S 177°00′25″E / 38.06389°S 177.00694°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Bay of Plenty |
| Territorial authority | Whakatāne District |
| Ward | Te Urewera General Ward |
| Community | Tāneatua Community |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial authority | Whakatāne District Council |
| • Regional council | Bay of Plenty Regional Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.69 km2 (0.27 sq mi) |
| Population (June 2024) | |
• Total | 940 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
Tāneatua is a small town in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island, 13 kilometres south of Whakatāne. State Highway 2 passes through the town on its route between Edgecumbe and Ōpōtiki. The small settlements of Ruatoki and Waimana are to the south and south-east of Tāneatua.
The Whakatāne River runs to the west of Tāneatua, while the Tauranga River (also formerly called the Waimana River) flows south of the township and joins the Whakatāne River just to the southwest of Tāneatua.
Te Kura Whare, the headquarters of the Ngāi Tūhoe tribe's representative body, Te Uru Taumatua, is on the highway at the north-western end of Tāneatua. It includes a library, gallery, archive and large tribal meeting chamber.
The now closed Tāneatua Branch railway line terminated in Tāneatua. Earlier considered part of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, it became a branch line off the main line from Hawkens Junction, northwest of Edgecumbe. The Tāneatua railway station has been demolished.